Monday, March 11, 2013
Back to The Shed ~ And Back to WinStar
More from guest blogger Lindsay Hunter...
Spring ahead ~ WinStar March 10
It seemed like a short night, having set the clocks an hour ahead for Daylight Savings Time and as I left the house on the way to the farm, a skunk trotted determinedly down the middle of the road in front of the truck, never wavering until he reached his turnoff, no doubt after a long night of grubbing .
Turning onto narrow, tree lined Spears Road, a big brindle doe stood momentarily motionless in the headlights, then quickly skittered over the wire fence and into the brush. Bailey, the Dog With A Tail, panning for squirrels in the shotgun seat, went beserk.
Collecting the mare at Overbrook, we set off down the avenues, whose trees were starkly silhouetted against the grey dawn, but all to soon would be hung with fragrant blossoms. Onto Tates Creek Road, and there was very little traffic on a quiet Sunday morning to slow down our progress. Our appoinment at Winstar for 9 am meant that we would be in the second shed, reserved for the stallions that took their own sweet time.
The parking area was crammed full of trailers and vans, and I wiggled in to the only open space, recently vacated by a mare from the ‘early ‘ shed.
Van drivers stood around chatting, most grateful for the early morning coffee and doughnuts available in the observation room. Tony Cissell, , two way radio in one ear, directed procedings between the stallion barn and the breeding shed, all the while shuffling mares in and out of the teasing stalls to the wash stocks to the holding stalls. 19 mares were on the morning shed books, and the place was hopping.
My mare penciled in on the Roster board as number 3 in Shed 2, so even though I was early for the appointment, I was in for a wait.
Mike Owens, who with his wife, Jeannie, runs Cobra Farm, waited too, checking texts on his cell phone. Adam Corndorf, and manager, Glen, from Blue Heaven Farm, waited also, watching each stallion come into the shed. It is such a plus to be able to see these stallions up close and personal. Clayton and Tom Ameche, better known as ‘Arizona ‘, grabbed a quick coffee, while the van drivers from the three big companies in town, Brookledge, Hubbard and Sallee, stood around and compared notes about which sheds they’d been to and how busy they were.
High above us the Big Ass Fan mounted in the ceiling reminded me that we would still be coming to get mares bred when the days turned hot and muggy in May. Spot the teaser inspected every mare, suited up in his protective shield in case a mare needed to be jumped prior to putting a valuable stallion on her back.
Stallion after stallion walked down from the big barn and bred their mare. Medaglia de’Oro, Colonel John, Tiznow, U.S. Ranger, Artie Schiller, Gemologist, Pioneer oftheNile, Sidney’s Candy, Super Saver, Bellamy Road, Bodemeister , Congrats, Distorted Humor, Harlan’s Holiday, Speightstown , Spring at Last, one by one they all took their turn.
Slowly after each mare was bred and reloaded, the vans and trailers pulled away from the parking area. Tony began to wrap things up, erasing each mare from the board as she was bred.
Soon it would be quiet and uneventful in the shed, all areas hosed down or raked over, ready for the next session of the day, after lunch.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Back to The Shed ~ Ashford in morning WinStar in the evening
A double-header for Guest Blogger Lindsay Hunter, Ashford in the a.m. to visit Capo Blanco, and WinStar in the evening, for Bellamy Road.
The sky was grey and chilly as I drove out Highway 60, the Lexington Road past Versailles. Snowflakes swirled around the truck like the blossoms of cherry trees losing their petals in the spring. Out past Fred Seitz’ Brookdale Farm on the left, on past Stonestreet’s impressive gates with the brass plaques. Thinking about Rachel Alexandra and her recent plight post foaling, I was soon past the tall electric pylon and looking for the small white sign that signaled the turn into Ashford’s breeding shed entrance.
Driving trough the double iron gates, down the long curving avenue landscaped with trees and shrubs, I thought back about the original Ashford that Dr. William Lockridge developed in the ‘70’s, a 456 acre cattle farm, that since its’ acquisition in the 80’, Coolmore America has stretched to cover 2000 rolling Bluegrass acres, and the wonderful stone barns and buildings that dot the property.
Storm Bird, the sire of the mighty Storm Cat, stood at Ashford, but now numerous stallions with international influence hail Ashford as their home.
Today I have a mare for the young stallion, Cape Blanco, a son of Europe’s most revered stallion, Galileo, Winner of the Man ‘O War Stakes, and the Irish Derby, racing on both sides of the pond. She is a maiden, and although well behaved, comes with a few instructions. Calli, the new breeding shed manager since Niall Power has gone to Coolmore’s operation in Australia, comes out to get the papers and notes the instructions.
She behaves well in the wash stocks, but on the side of caution, they give her a little tranquilizer and she soon drops her head.
Beside me in the blue padded holding stalls are two other mares. Billy from Brookledge has the mare in front of me, who is being bred to Hansen. We are all waiting, because the stallion in the shed, Giant’s Causweway, the Iron Horse, is known to take his time.
When Billy’s mare goes in, I slip into the observation lounge to see Hansen, who I haven’t seen since dying his tail Wildcat Blue for his trip in the West Virginia Derby. He looks handsome as ever, gleaming white like his sire, Tapit, at Gainesway, and literally prances into the shed, playful as ever.
I take back my sleeping mare, and soon our turn is up. Cape Blanco, an impressive chestnut, walks quietly through the big double doors that lead into the shed from the two stallion barns, separate stone barns where each stallion has a brass plaqued nameplate on the front of his spacious, straw lined stall. They spend most of their time romping in individual double fenced paddocks that sweep away from the stallion barns, in equine luxury.
Quickly he breeds the maiden, and soon the tail wrap is off, she steps her hind feet out of the protective padded leather boots (to protect the stallion should she kick) and we are out on the canopied dock and back to the trailer.
Back through Versailles, and I soon have her home to her farm. It’s barely 8.30 but seems like half a day, and I decide to check out the Keeneland Warehouse Sale to see what bargains I can snag this year.
Ashford Stud 2/28/13
The sky was grey and chilly as I drove out Highway 60, the Lexington Road past Versailles. Snowflakes swirled around the truck like the blossoms of cherry trees losing their petals in the spring. Out past Fred Seitz’ Brookdale Farm on the left, on past Stonestreet’s impressive gates with the brass plaques. Thinking about Rachel Alexandra and her recent plight post foaling, I was soon past the tall electric pylon and looking for the small white sign that signaled the turn into Ashford’s breeding shed entrance.
Driving trough the double iron gates, down the long curving avenue landscaped with trees and shrubs, I thought back about the original Ashford that Dr. William Lockridge developed in the ‘70’s, a 456 acre cattle farm, that since its’ acquisition in the 80’, Coolmore America has stretched to cover 2000 rolling Bluegrass acres, and the wonderful stone barns and buildings that dot the property.
Storm Bird, the sire of the mighty Storm Cat, stood at Ashford, but now numerous stallions with international influence hail Ashford as their home.
Today I have a mare for the young stallion, Cape Blanco, a son of Europe’s most revered stallion, Galileo, Winner of the Man ‘O War Stakes, and the Irish Derby, racing on both sides of the pond. She is a maiden, and although well behaved, comes with a few instructions. Calli, the new breeding shed manager since Niall Power has gone to Coolmore’s operation in Australia, comes out to get the papers and notes the instructions.
She behaves well in the wash stocks, but on the side of caution, they give her a little tranquilizer and she soon drops her head.
Beside me in the blue padded holding stalls are two other mares. Billy from Brookledge has the mare in front of me, who is being bred to Hansen. We are all waiting, because the stallion in the shed, Giant’s Causweway, the Iron Horse, is known to take his time.
When Billy’s mare goes in, I slip into the observation lounge to see Hansen, who I haven’t seen since dying his tail Wildcat Blue for his trip in the West Virginia Derby. He looks handsome as ever, gleaming white like his sire, Tapit, at Gainesway, and literally prances into the shed, playful as ever.
I take back my sleeping mare, and soon our turn is up. Cape Blanco, an impressive chestnut, walks quietly through the big double doors that lead into the shed from the two stallion barns, separate stone barns where each stallion has a brass plaqued nameplate on the front of his spacious, straw lined stall. They spend most of their time romping in individual double fenced paddocks that sweep away from the stallion barns, in equine luxury.
Quickly he breeds the maiden, and soon the tail wrap is off, she steps her hind feet out of the protective padded leather boots (to protect the stallion should she kick) and we are out on the canopied dock and back to the trailer.
Back through Versailles, and I soon have her home to her farm. It’s barely 8.30 but seems like half a day, and I decide to check out the Keeneland Warehouse Sale to see what bargains I can snag this year.
A WinStar Evening Out 2/28/13
I drove the winding backroads through picturesque Jessamine County where I live, to avoid the construction happening on Versailles Rd, between bustling New Circle Road and the Bluegrass Parkway interchange, including RIGHT IN FRONT OF KEENELAND ! I can just imagine what getting to the spring meet in April is going to be like, but maybe they will have done whatever they’re doing in that section by then.
Snuck through the evening rush hour commuters to follow Pisgah Pike on past the historic Pisgah Church, round the horseshoe bend and over the railroad track past Dr Fishback’s Trackside Farm (not Tom Evans’ Trackside Farm further out in Versailles) and along the road frontage of Brittany Farm, one of the remaining Standardbred nurseries in the Bluegrass, since lack of racing dates and incentives forced the majority of Standardbred breeders to relocate to New Jersey. Up and down the hills, noting that the purple and white cow (like our Horse Mania horses) has changed direction in the field off to the right.
Turning left at the crossroads, I could see WinStar’s Security man waiting to check me in. The usual question “Who is your mare breeding to ? “ and the correct answer gains one access through the gate.
I was a little early, hoping that by being first, I could get in and out of there in optimum time. The lights shone through the big windows in the new breeding shed complex, as I pulled into the carefully marked parking area, and I left Solo in the truck and walked inside.
Ever cordial, Tony Cissell was just setting the evening session in gear, and soon returned with Spot, the plum pudding marked Leopard App teaser. Spot is a veteran, and very good at his job. The mare, also with several foals to her credit, knew exactly what was expected of her, and showed herself to be ‘hot’ in heat and ready for breeding.
Her date for the evening, dressed in his best black suit, walked regally down the connecting aisle from his stall in the stallion barn. The overhead lights reflected off his polished coat, and his full, thick tail swung gracefully behind him, surely the envy of many show horses. Bellamy Road, an eleven year old son of Concerto, distinguished himself by winning the G1 Wood Memorial by 17 lengths, equaling the track record set 40 years ago by Riva Ridge. Proving himself not only as a racehorse, but more importantly as a sire, he duplicated himself in siring Toby’s Corner, also the winner of the Wood Memorial, and proved himself to be more than a one trick pony, in siring the undefeated juvenile, Chatfield Road.
By the time the mare was bred and returned to the trailer, only the stars were lighting up the night sky. Just as I was loading, another trailer pulled into the complex, but I was set on “go” to head back to drop off the mare and wind my way across the now quiet country lanes to home.
I drove the winding backroads through picturesque Jessamine County where I live, to avoid the construction happening on Versailles Rd, between bustling New Circle Road and the Bluegrass Parkway interchange, including RIGHT IN FRONT OF KEENELAND ! I can just imagine what getting to the spring meet in April is going to be like, but maybe they will have done whatever they’re doing in that section by then.
Snuck through the evening rush hour commuters to follow Pisgah Pike on past the historic Pisgah Church, round the horseshoe bend and over the railroad track past Dr Fishback’s Trackside Farm (not Tom Evans’ Trackside Farm further out in Versailles) and along the road frontage of Brittany Farm, one of the remaining Standardbred nurseries in the Bluegrass, since lack of racing dates and incentives forced the majority of Standardbred breeders to relocate to New Jersey. Up and down the hills, noting that the purple and white cow (like our Horse Mania horses) has changed direction in the field off to the right.
Turning left at the crossroads, I could see WinStar’s Security man waiting to check me in. The usual question “Who is your mare breeding to ? “ and the correct answer gains one access through the gate.
I was a little early, hoping that by being first, I could get in and out of there in optimum time. The lights shone through the big windows in the new breeding shed complex, as I pulled into the carefully marked parking area, and I left Solo in the truck and walked inside.
Ever cordial, Tony Cissell was just setting the evening session in gear, and soon returned with Spot, the plum pudding marked Leopard App teaser. Spot is a veteran, and very good at his job. The mare, also with several foals to her credit, knew exactly what was expected of her, and showed herself to be ‘hot’ in heat and ready for breeding.
Her date for the evening, dressed in his best black suit, walked regally down the connecting aisle from his stall in the stallion barn. The overhead lights reflected off his polished coat, and his full, thick tail swung gracefully behind him, surely the envy of many show horses. Bellamy Road, an eleven year old son of Concerto, distinguished himself by winning the G1 Wood Memorial by 17 lengths, equaling the track record set 40 years ago by Riva Ridge. Proving himself not only as a racehorse, but more importantly as a sire, he duplicated himself in siring Toby’s Corner, also the winner of the Wood Memorial, and proved himself to be more than a one trick pony, in siring the undefeated juvenile, Chatfield Road.
By the time the mare was bred and returned to the trailer, only the stars were lighting up the night sky. Just as I was loading, another trailer pulled into the complex, but I was set on “go” to head back to drop off the mare and wind my way across the now quiet country lanes to home.
For more of Lindsay, find her here, on her FaceBook page.
Monday, March 4, 2013
Back to The Shed ~ A Trip to Airdrie and Proud Citizen
Guest Blogger Lindsay Hunter writes about delivering a mare to Proud Citizen, who stands at the famous Airdrie Stud, owned by Kentucky's former Gov. Brereton Jones and his wife, Libby.
Airdrie Stud 2/26/13
I flicked one eye open and looked at the red glow of the bedside clock. Time to get rolling. Tickled the Corgis sleeping at my feet and let them out the back door. Rustling around, I dressed and dabbed on a little makeup. The dogs ate their kibble, and Bailey very pointedly went back to her bed. It was pitch dark out. The Corgis, Solo and Millie, were a bit more enthusiastic, but as soon as I put the big Ford in gear, they stretched out beside me and went back to sleep.
Over the hills and through the dales, we soon arrived at the main barn. I was greeted by a Eskimo lookalike, bundled up against the chilly morning air.
Mare loaded, we set out across town for Airdrie Stud, one of the prettiest and oldest farms in Kentucky. Winding along the grey ribbon of Old Frankfort Pike, trees etched sharply against the pre dawn light, past Three Chimneys , past the converted old tollhouse right next to the blacktop that now is home to Wallace Station, a remarkable place to eat just outside of Midway, we were soon turning through the stone pillars of Airdrie.
Former Kentucky Governor Brereton C. Jones and his wife, Libby, began Airdrie in 1972, on family land that was part of the famous Woodburn Farm, home to the stallion, Lexington, America’s Leading Sire for 16 years at the end of the 19th Century, and also the home of 5 Kentucky Derby winners. Airdrie rambles across 2500 acres, and has the distinction of having bred 140 Stakes Winners with collective earnings of over $80 million.
Our mare is booked to Proud Citizen, a son of Gone West, who won the Coolmore Lexington Stakes at Keeneland, and as a three year old, placed in both the 2002 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, two legs of the elusive Triple Crown of racing. Now 13, he has sired not one, but two winners of the prestigious Kentucky Oaks for fillies, Proud Spell and Believe You Can.
The big pinto draft bred teaser verifies that the mare is ripe for breeding, and she’s prepped and tagged with a card with her name and Proud Citizen’s name, so there can be no mistakes as to who she is to be bred to.
Tim Thornton brings the playful stallion into the breeding shed, and the crew set the mare up for him, one steadies her head with shank and twitch, one is positioned to keep her tail out of the way of the plunging stallion. Quietly, with no fuss, Proud Citizen takes care of business, and soon we are back on the road.
Often in the early spring mornings, the road is blocked by deer between the stone walls of Airdrie and Woodburn, but perhaps because of the chill, they have stayed out of sight. It’s a pretty long drive out to Airdrie, so since this is a single mare, I make a quick stop to grab a latte’ and a danish to satisfy my rumbling tummy. Soon we are back to the home farm, a three hour turnaround, and the mare is ready to unload and spend the rest of the day in the fields with her buddies.
I flicked one eye open and looked at the red glow of the bedside clock. Time to get rolling. Tickled the Corgis sleeping at my feet and let them out the back door. Rustling around, I dressed and dabbed on a little makeup. The dogs ate their kibble, and Bailey very pointedly went back to her bed. It was pitch dark out. The Corgis, Solo and Millie, were a bit more enthusiastic, but as soon as I put the big Ford in gear, they stretched out beside me and went back to sleep.
Over the hills and through the dales, we soon arrived at the main barn. I was greeted by a Eskimo lookalike, bundled up against the chilly morning air.
Mare loaded, we set out across town for Airdrie Stud, one of the prettiest and oldest farms in Kentucky. Winding along the grey ribbon of Old Frankfort Pike, trees etched sharply against the pre dawn light, past Three Chimneys , past the converted old tollhouse right next to the blacktop that now is home to Wallace Station, a remarkable place to eat just outside of Midway, we were soon turning through the stone pillars of Airdrie.
Former Kentucky Governor Brereton C. Jones and his wife, Libby, began Airdrie in 1972, on family land that was part of the famous Woodburn Farm, home to the stallion, Lexington, America’s Leading Sire for 16 years at the end of the 19th Century, and also the home of 5 Kentucky Derby winners. Airdrie rambles across 2500 acres, and has the distinction of having bred 140 Stakes Winners with collective earnings of over $80 million.
Our mare is booked to Proud Citizen, a son of Gone West, who won the Coolmore Lexington Stakes at Keeneland, and as a three year old, placed in both the 2002 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, two legs of the elusive Triple Crown of racing. Now 13, he has sired not one, but two winners of the prestigious Kentucky Oaks for fillies, Proud Spell and Believe You Can.
The big pinto draft bred teaser verifies that the mare is ripe for breeding, and she’s prepped and tagged with a card with her name and Proud Citizen’s name, so there can be no mistakes as to who she is to be bred to.
Tim Thornton brings the playful stallion into the breeding shed, and the crew set the mare up for him, one steadies her head with shank and twitch, one is positioned to keep her tail out of the way of the plunging stallion. Quietly, with no fuss, Proud Citizen takes care of business, and soon we are back on the road.
Often in the early spring mornings, the road is blocked by deer between the stone walls of Airdrie and Woodburn, but perhaps because of the chill, they have stayed out of sight. It’s a pretty long drive out to Airdrie, so since this is a single mare, I make a quick stop to grab a latte’ and a danish to satisfy my rumbling tummy. Soon we are back to the home farm, a three hour turnaround, and the mare is ready to unload and spend the rest of the day in the fields with her buddies.
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Back To The Shed ~ A Visit to Three Chimneys
Guest
Blogger Lindsay Hunter delivers a maiden mare to Flower Alley at Three
Chimneys, and recalls some history along the way.
Click here for Lindsay's FaceBook page.
Three
Chimneys 2/21/13
The two Corgis, Solo and Millie, curled up and went back to sleep beside me on the seat, as if I had interrupted their morning beauty sleep by getting them up in the dark. Bailey rode shotgun, with a renewed passion for keeping a watchful eye for deer on Spears Rd, as we had seen three on our trip home last night from the farm. By the time I had slid the gooseneck ball under the trailer, fed grain to all the horses in the barn and filled their water buckets, the sun peaking over the hills toward Tates Creek Rd was bathing the landscape in golden light, very welcome after many days of dreary grey and cold.
We set off once more for Overbrook Farm, which since the passing of it’s founder, W.T. Young, had made its glorious barns and sweeping fields available to several Thoroughbred boarding operations. Stopping at one of the long barns of Terazzas Thoroughbreds, the pretty, almost black mare, Lovely Danielle, was loaded onto the trailer, and we wound our way through the tree lined avenues to the front gate, which swung open automatically as soon as I passed the guard shack. Like Hotel California in reverse, you can always leave, but you must have special access granted to get in through the locked gates.
Traffic was picking up for the morning rush hour, but we encountered no problems traveling New Circle Road to the other side of town. Lovely Danielle, a maiden foaling mare, was leaving her young foal for the first time and was understandably anxious. Eduardo (Terazzas) had written notes on the shed envelope, to remind the shed crew that she had been a bit nervous last year as a maiden being bred for the first time, and hoped she had the hang of it now, but to be watchful.
Old Frankfort Pike, the road to Three Chimneys, was thankfully not busy, as one turns left off the ramp, and there is often a lot of heavy construction traffic, police vehicles from the depot and semis getting back on New Circle to thread through in a hurry. Past the spot where Wolf Run Farm used to be, where I first applied for a job, the former Mare Haven Annex and the little red house where Larry DeMerritte and his wife used to live, now gone.
Through the new roundabout at the section of old Viley, now rechristened Alexandria, up the hill with the High Croft Farm on the right, bound by stone fence, where I did get my first job, in the spring of 1980 working with Ricky Payne for Taylor Made Farm, then in its’ infancy. Who would have guessed back then that the humble operation run by the Taylor brothers would soar to such heights?
On past the newly relocated Padua Farm, down the hill past the former Mare Haven farm of famed veterinarian, Dr William O. Reed, now Casa Farm, past Darby Dan, Old Bradley Farm, Fares Farm, the old Buckram Oak property that is now Stonestreet, home of Rachel Alexandra. Past Chealis Hammond’s place, he a friend of Ricky Paynes’, where it seemed like there was always a party going on. That farm became Old Frankfort Stud, where Jim Plemmons stood Lil E Tee, who won the KY Derby in 1982. Now Frankfort Park Stud, it too, is leased to different operators.
Continuing along the old buffalo trail, passing the little white house on the left quaintly named “Dutchmans Acre “, we soon pass Meg and Michael Levy’s Bluewater Farm, on a former Three Chimneys division location, and on out past The Headley-Whitney Museum, Middlebrook Farm, Cathy Wieshoff’s Carriage Station, down over the bridge before the little store with the good sandwiches and cold drinks, up past Hopewell Farm and Pisgah Pike , and finally to Three Chimneys.
As we turn left on Big Sink Pike, Lovely Danielle is shaking the trailer. There is only one trailer in the parking lot ahead of us, and promptly at 9 am, the prep guy comes to get our papers. Lovelly Danielle has a date with Flower Alley, sire of Bodemeister who ran second in last year’s KY Derby, and is now retired to stud at Winstar Farm.
Standing in the teasing stall, I could appreciate just how lovely Lovely Danielle was. A refined, tapered head (yes, the Arabian lover in me comes out) and strong, muscular body set on perfectly straight legs and neat feet. However, as predicted, she had only so much patience in the wash stocks, and after her tail was wrapped and her vulva cleaned, she could hold herself together no longer, and with a great leap out of the stocks, let us know she wanted to get on with the breeding and get back to her baby.
Once in the breeding shed, she stood quietly while Flower Alley minced along the crushed red brick path from his barn to the shed, and was a perfect lady while he mounted and covered her.
Hurrying back into the trailer, she made it quite plain that she was anxious to get back to her baby, and so with no further ado, the Corgis, now awake, and I whisked her back to Overbrook Farm and her baby.
The two Corgis, Solo and Millie, curled up and went back to sleep beside me on the seat, as if I had interrupted their morning beauty sleep by getting them up in the dark. Bailey rode shotgun, with a renewed passion for keeping a watchful eye for deer on Spears Rd, as we had seen three on our trip home last night from the farm. By the time I had slid the gooseneck ball under the trailer, fed grain to all the horses in the barn and filled their water buckets, the sun peaking over the hills toward Tates Creek Rd was bathing the landscape in golden light, very welcome after many days of dreary grey and cold.
We set off once more for Overbrook Farm, which since the passing of it’s founder, W.T. Young, had made its glorious barns and sweeping fields available to several Thoroughbred boarding operations. Stopping at one of the long barns of Terazzas Thoroughbreds, the pretty, almost black mare, Lovely Danielle, was loaded onto the trailer, and we wound our way through the tree lined avenues to the front gate, which swung open automatically as soon as I passed the guard shack. Like Hotel California in reverse, you can always leave, but you must have special access granted to get in through the locked gates.
Traffic was picking up for the morning rush hour, but we encountered no problems traveling New Circle Road to the other side of town. Lovely Danielle, a maiden foaling mare, was leaving her young foal for the first time and was understandably anxious. Eduardo (Terazzas) had written notes on the shed envelope, to remind the shed crew that she had been a bit nervous last year as a maiden being bred for the first time, and hoped she had the hang of it now, but to be watchful.
Old Frankfort Pike, the road to Three Chimneys, was thankfully not busy, as one turns left off the ramp, and there is often a lot of heavy construction traffic, police vehicles from the depot and semis getting back on New Circle to thread through in a hurry. Past the spot where Wolf Run Farm used to be, where I first applied for a job, the former Mare Haven Annex and the little red house where Larry DeMerritte and his wife used to live, now gone.
Through the new roundabout at the section of old Viley, now rechristened Alexandria, up the hill with the High Croft Farm on the right, bound by stone fence, where I did get my first job, in the spring of 1980 working with Ricky Payne for Taylor Made Farm, then in its’ infancy. Who would have guessed back then that the humble operation run by the Taylor brothers would soar to such heights?
On past the newly relocated Padua Farm, down the hill past the former Mare Haven farm of famed veterinarian, Dr William O. Reed, now Casa Farm, past Darby Dan, Old Bradley Farm, Fares Farm, the old Buckram Oak property that is now Stonestreet, home of Rachel Alexandra. Past Chealis Hammond’s place, he a friend of Ricky Paynes’, where it seemed like there was always a party going on. That farm became Old Frankfort Stud, where Jim Plemmons stood Lil E Tee, who won the KY Derby in 1982. Now Frankfort Park Stud, it too, is leased to different operators.
Continuing along the old buffalo trail, passing the little white house on the left quaintly named “Dutchmans Acre “, we soon pass Meg and Michael Levy’s Bluewater Farm, on a former Three Chimneys division location, and on out past The Headley-Whitney Museum, Middlebrook Farm, Cathy Wieshoff’s Carriage Station, down over the bridge before the little store with the good sandwiches and cold drinks, up past Hopewell Farm and Pisgah Pike , and finally to Three Chimneys.
As we turn left on Big Sink Pike, Lovely Danielle is shaking the trailer. There is only one trailer in the parking lot ahead of us, and promptly at 9 am, the prep guy comes to get our papers. Lovelly Danielle has a date with Flower Alley, sire of Bodemeister who ran second in last year’s KY Derby, and is now retired to stud at Winstar Farm.
Standing in the teasing stall, I could appreciate just how lovely Lovely Danielle was. A refined, tapered head (yes, the Arabian lover in me comes out) and strong, muscular body set on perfectly straight legs and neat feet. However, as predicted, she had only so much patience in the wash stocks, and after her tail was wrapped and her vulva cleaned, she could hold herself together no longer, and with a great leap out of the stocks, let us know she wanted to get on with the breeding and get back to her baby.
Once in the breeding shed, she stood quietly while Flower Alley minced along the crushed red brick path from his barn to the shed, and was a perfect lady while he mounted and covered her.
Hurrying back into the trailer, she made it quite plain that she was anxious to get back to her baby, and so with no further ado, the Corgis, now awake, and I whisked her back to Overbrook Farm and her baby.
Friday, March 1, 2013
Back To The Shed ~ A Visit With Arch at Claiborne
Back to Claiborne with
Guest Blogger Lindsay Hunter, this time with a mare to visit Arch. Longtime
friend, Kim Ammeter riding shotgun. To visit Lindsay on her FaceBook page,
click here.
Photo of Arch courtesy
Kim Ammeter
Claiborne 2/21/13
Accompanied by my long time friend and fellow rider, Kim Ammeter, I set out on a cool, windy afternoon to take a mare to Claiborne. Like me, Kim has ridden all her life, and continues to enjoy the horses and everything to do with them. Since her retirement from the city government, it has afforded her more time to ride and be at the barn, and she has been game to go along on any wild venture I propose, including the dying of tails and delivering of ponies. So here we go, and Kim is armed with her camera.
Accompanied by my long time friend and fellow rider, Kim Ammeter, I set out on a cool, windy afternoon to take a mare to Claiborne. Like me, Kim has ridden all her life, and continues to enjoy the horses and everything to do with them. Since her retirement from the city government, it has afforded her more time to ride and be at the barn, and she has been game to go along on any wild venture I propose, including the dying of tails and delivering of ponies. So here we go, and Kim is armed with her camera.
We collect the mare and discover from the breeding shed envelope, that she is booked to Arch, sire of Claiborne’s prestigious runners , ArchArchArch , Blame and Uncle Mo, all now retired from the track and standing at stud. ArchArchArch is along the road at Spendthrift, Blame stands alongside his sire at Claiborne, while Uncle Mo resides in splendor over at Ashford Stud in Woodford County.
Kim reminisces that the last time she visited Claiborne was when the great Secretariat was still there, and recalls that Secretariat’s stall still had the nameplate of his equally famous sire on the stall door, Bold Ruler.
There is so much written material about Secretariat, including the movie, photos, just treasures of the past - all worth reading and following up on. Numerous homes and offices display Tony Leonard’s famous photo of Secretariat with pride.
Turning into Claiborne’s main entrance, Kim exclaims that it hasn’t changed at all from her last visit many years ago. There are two Sallee horse vans pulled up to the loading dock. I turn the trailer around in the large parking lot (only large when you’re first to arrive, but can get very crowded with 5 or 6 trailers present .)
We’ re early, so we wait.
Promptly at 3 pm, we see the shed crew stirring. The teaser, a black Tennessee Walker, is brought to the teasing stall. Visiting mares are brought to the front stalls, Claiborne mares are kept away from visiting mares and are teased along the back stalls. We are called second to the shed. Our mare is not paying attention to the teaser, preferring to pick at the straw in the stall. She is a maiden and so prior to introducing her to Arch himself, they bring the teaser into the shed to ‘jump’ her, to make sure she isn’t scared about the whole breeding thing and kicks the stallion, who probably has 60 more mares to breed this season. She does great, so Arch’s groom is signaled to bring him from the stallion barn.
Claiborne is conservative in their stallion books, seldom overbooking their stallions, unlike some of the farms that might breed 150 or more to a popular horse, all live cover. The Jockey Club, the governing body for the Thoroughbred horse in America, prohibits any other methods of mating, while most other breeds are allowed to produce offspring by artificial insemination, either fresh cooled or frozen semen , which enables popular sires’ semen to be shipped anywhere, including across the continent, to recipient mares. Some registries allow multiple foals from one mare in a single season. This can flood the market with foals by a popular horse, even full siblings in the same year.
By prohibiting this practice, the Jockey Club and Mother Nature limit the offspring to a certain extent, so when you present your youngster at a sale, you hope there aren’t too many others by the same sire, at least not as good as the one you raised !
Kim is able to take photos, of Claiborne’s white swans, of Arch, of the shed, so the accompanying photos are to her credit.
Soon we are back out through the yellow gate, and loaded and on the way back to the home farm. The barn crew, almost done for the day, is there to meet us and unload, and we are quickly on our way back to Silverstone.
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Back to the Shed... this time Claiborne Farm
Guest Blogger Lindsay Hunter writes about her trip to deliver a mare to the Claiborne Farm Breeding Shed last week...
Claiborne 2/19/13
As I headed out Paris Pike the cold edged winds buffeted the trailer from the west. Past the Country Club, past the Keeneland Training Center, on past Walmac and Spendthrift and Gainesway and Elmendorf. Past the old Greentree and the barn where the Gashouse Gang retirees used to hang out.
The cold grey sky matched the historic grey stone fences that lined Paris Pike. Signature landmarks in Kentucky, these 19th century dry stone walls where originally constructed by Irish and Scottish immigrant stonemasons, who taught their craft to the black slaves, who in turn became accomplished stone masons, building miles and miles of containing fences from the native limestone rocks readily available in the adjoining fields. At one time, the first macadamized (blacktopped ) road west of the Allegheny Mountains, Paris Pike is now a scenic 13 mile four lane ‘country road’ connecting Paris , and Maysville beyond it, to Lexington. The stone walls been carefully moved and reconstructed to accommodate the new and much safer road, and signs along the way denote the time of the original construction.
Entering the quaint town of Paris, I made my way along the antique alley of Main Street, turned right at the Family Dollar onto Hwy 627, over the railroad tracks, past the white water tower, and soon found myself at the main Claiborne Farm entrance ,passing the “No Visitors “ sign as I drove along the driveway.
Four generations of Hancocks have raised Thoroughbred horses on these Bluegrass acres, a true working nursery, no pretentious fancy iron gates, no state of the art stallion complex, just black tar tobacco barns with egg yellow doors and screens, same routines followed day in and day out.
But marvel at the horses that have called Claiborne ‘home’.
Visitors can schedule an appointment to tour the farm, and marvel at the Cemetery and the famous horses buried there. At the main farm, in a hedge enclosed area adjacent to the office, 20 stallions have headstones there. Round Table, Nijinsky II, Secretariat, Swale and Mr Prospector are all buried whole, deviating from the tradition of burying a horse’s head, heart and hooves (for intelligence, heart and speed ) . History makers like Gallant Fox, Bold Ruler, BlenheimII , Double Jay, Nasrullah , Hoist the Flag, Buckpasser and Riva Ridge are also interred here.
Across the road at Marchmont, (a division of Claiborne ) Forli, Conquistador Cielo, Damascus, Danzig, Easy Goer, Sir Ivor, Tom Rolfe, Unbridled and the first stallion imported from England by A.B. Hancock, Sir Gallahad III, are laid to rest in the cemetery.
As I pull into the parking area, I am second in line. The mare I have brought is the dam of a Breeders Cup winner and she is coming to the court of War Front, a son of Danzig, and winner of the Alfred C Vanderbuilt Breeders Cup, the Forego Stakes, the Tom Fool Handicap, Mr Prospector Handicap and the Deputy Minister Handicap, so he could flat run !
We are called to the breeding shed in succession, walking across the grass next to Stoner Creek that flows through the middle of Claiborne, where the white swans float among the bullrushes in the summer. In the whitewashed teasing stall, the teaser talks to the mare. She shows herself to be ready for breeding, and I catch her, running the shank through her mouth as all the mares at Claiborne are bred this way, turning her into the yellow padded wash stocks to get her tail wrapped and washed.
Barrett Midkiff from Taylor Made Farm is behind me, with a mare for First Samurai, and we chat about the weather (cold ) and Winstar’s new breeding shed (they have EVERYTHING, in doubles, and doughnuts ! )
Soon I hand off my mare to the shed crew, who greet me with warmth , it’s been half a year since I was here back in June, and they recall the double fudge peanut butter brownies I brought along that day. No doubt they’re angling for more treats !
War Front steps regally down the rubber brick lined walkway from the upper barn and I’m able to snap some photos with the sun behind him. The stallion manager takes him, and in no time at all has bred the mare. Barrett waits at the yellow gate for his mares’ turn and I bid them adieu and head back to the parking area. The mare loads easily, I close everything up, the new ramp is great, but still heavy , and truck in gear, off we go. I stop briefly at the office and take in a few more Breeding Shed Guides (Claiborne has the back cover ) and its off through town, down Paris Pike to the mare’s home farm.
In some ways it’s a step back in time to visit Claiborne. The staff have for the most part, grown with the farm, some were raised there and have been around Claiborne horses since they were kids. It’s always a privilege to drive through the bronze plaqued gate and be on such a historic Thoroughbred nursery.
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Delivering a Mare to the Breeding Shed
Ever wonder what it's like to deliver a mare to the breeding shed?
Guest blogger Lindsay Hunter of Lexington, Kentucky has been
documenting her daily
journeys to Kentucky’s premier farms this season with an
interesting and enjoyable mix of
information, color and history.
Many thanks to Lindsay for sharing her words and giving me the OK to post here. For FaceBook fans, you
can read Lindsay’s adventures here. http://www.facebook.com/lindsay.hunter.522.
Feb 15th
Darley at Jonabell
The phone rang about 11.30. Could I take a mare to be bred at Darley at 1.30? (of course I could!) As I drove along Harrodsburg Road on the southwest side of Lexington, and traversed curvy Bowman Mill between Mill Ridge Farm and Darley, I reminisced about Jonabell Farm, where HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rasheed Al Maktoum’s U.S breeding operation is now centered, having purchased the Jonabell property in 2001, and upon the death of his brother, Sheikh Maktoum, consolidated the stallions at Gainesborough Farm under one large Darley umbrella at Jonabell. I missed the old stone breeding shed, the wonderful carved stone horseheads that adorned the entrance, the Celtic symbol that each mare passed beneath on her way in to the shed. Back then, stallions in residence included Holy Bull, Cherokee Run, Old Trieste.
Phillip ran the shed, Bruce handled the stallions, Hector stabilized the mares.
Close to the new executive offices, is the bronze statue and grave of Affirmed, the 1978 Triple Crown winner and the last thoroughbred to accomplish the feat, was buried whole standing up, and facing the viewer, directly under his statue at Darley along with the familiar flamingo pink and black silks of owner/breeder Louis and Patrice Wolfson's Harbor View Farm. Thirty four years ago, he gave his sport not just its last Triple Crown, but an amazing rivalry with a horse named Alydar. Even though Affirmed died before the Sheikh acquired the farm, he wanted to make sure the legendary stallion had a fitting memorial. Affirmed lived in reverence until January 2001 and the age of 26.
Among the 13 stallions standing at stud on the farm are the 2007 Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense and his rival Hard Spun, Bernardini, and top American stallions Medaglia d'Oro (sire of Rachel Alexandra') and Street Cry (Zenyatta's sire). Darley has the distinction of being the only farm with the sires of four Kentucky Derby winners.
As I drove thru the barred automatic gates, past the sign that says “Please wait to unload your mare until called “ up the neat, curved drive and into the huge parking lot, I was struck by how far things had advanced. The ‘state of the art ’ breeding shed with two breeding bays, two teasing stalls, two foam padded stocks for palping and reinforcing, everything padded in blue, and this year, home to 13 royally bred stallions.
Joe met me in the parking area to check my mare’s papers, we were second in line, and she was to be bred to Any Given Saturday. There was much more hustle and bustle in this shed these days. More people are needed to get things handled, a resident vet checks everything, about 5 people in each breeding shed, one to hold the mare, one to hold her tail, another to steady from the far side, the stallion handler, the ’enter’ guy. We moved quickly through the teasing stall, wash rack for pre breeding prep, and on into the right side check. Phillip still overseas this shed, Bruce still brings the stallion, while Steve, formerly head stallion man at Gainesborough, usually keeps things moving in the left side shed.
My mare, a maiden , was quietly and unobtrusively introduced to the proceedings by the teaser, who took care not to startle her as he mounted her like the stallion would, a practice we refer to as ’ jumping the mare’. She took it all in stride, and as Bruce led Any Given Saturday in, she broke down and urinated, showing her readiness for breeding.
A group of foreign visitors watched with intense interest from the observation room, chattering in their home language. Five other trailers with mares and handlers had arrived behind me. Each went through the same routine, chatting companionably while waiting their mares’ turn.
Soon she was back in the trailer, and as the sun broke through the clouds, we headed back down Hwy 68 to her home farm.
The phone rang about 11.30. Could I take a mare to be bred at Darley at 1.30? (of course I could!) As I drove along Harrodsburg Road on the southwest side of Lexington, and traversed curvy Bowman Mill between Mill Ridge Farm and Darley, I reminisced about Jonabell Farm, where HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rasheed Al Maktoum’s U.S breeding operation is now centered, having purchased the Jonabell property in 2001, and upon the death of his brother, Sheikh Maktoum, consolidated the stallions at Gainesborough Farm under one large Darley umbrella at Jonabell. I missed the old stone breeding shed, the wonderful carved stone horseheads that adorned the entrance, the Celtic symbol that each mare passed beneath on her way in to the shed. Back then, stallions in residence included Holy Bull, Cherokee Run, Old Trieste.
Phillip ran the shed, Bruce handled the stallions, Hector stabilized the mares.
Close to the new executive offices, is the bronze statue and grave of Affirmed, the 1978 Triple Crown winner and the last thoroughbred to accomplish the feat, was buried whole standing up, and facing the viewer, directly under his statue at Darley along with the familiar flamingo pink and black silks of owner/breeder Louis and Patrice Wolfson's Harbor View Farm. Thirty four years ago, he gave his sport not just its last Triple Crown, but an amazing rivalry with a horse named Alydar. Even though Affirmed died before the Sheikh acquired the farm, he wanted to make sure the legendary stallion had a fitting memorial. Affirmed lived in reverence until January 2001 and the age of 26.
Among the 13 stallions standing at stud on the farm are the 2007 Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense and his rival Hard Spun, Bernardini, and top American stallions Medaglia d'Oro (sire of Rachel Alexandra') and Street Cry (Zenyatta's sire). Darley has the distinction of being the only farm with the sires of four Kentucky Derby winners.
As I drove thru the barred automatic gates, past the sign that says “Please wait to unload your mare until called “ up the neat, curved drive and into the huge parking lot, I was struck by how far things had advanced. The ‘state of the art ’ breeding shed with two breeding bays, two teasing stalls, two foam padded stocks for palping and reinforcing, everything padded in blue, and this year, home to 13 royally bred stallions.
Joe met me in the parking area to check my mare’s papers, we were second in line, and she was to be bred to Any Given Saturday. There was much more hustle and bustle in this shed these days. More people are needed to get things handled, a resident vet checks everything, about 5 people in each breeding shed, one to hold the mare, one to hold her tail, another to steady from the far side, the stallion handler, the ’enter’ guy. We moved quickly through the teasing stall, wash rack for pre breeding prep, and on into the right side check. Phillip still overseas this shed, Bruce still brings the stallion, while Steve, formerly head stallion man at Gainesborough, usually keeps things moving in the left side shed.
My mare, a maiden , was quietly and unobtrusively introduced to the proceedings by the teaser, who took care not to startle her as he mounted her like the stallion would, a practice we refer to as ’ jumping the mare’. She took it all in stride, and as Bruce led Any Given Saturday in, she broke down and urinated, showing her readiness for breeding.
A group of foreign visitors watched with intense interest from the observation room, chattering in their home language. Five other trailers with mares and handlers had arrived behind me. Each went through the same routine, chatting companionably while waiting their mares’ turn.
Soon she was back in the trailer, and as the sun broke through the clouds, we headed back down Hwy 68 to her home farm.
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